On Set Images, Newsletter June

Helping small Black businesses is one of the Western Cape Government's priorities, and it has prepared no less than 42 position papers on different aspects of the subject. It has teams of experts ready to assist suitable people who apply to it, and to visit applicants' premises and give practical help.

Speaking at the AGM of the Hout Bay Black Business Opportunities Forum recently (July 8) Jo-Ann Johnston, chief director and acting head of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism said they were eager to give emerging businesses with potential all the help possible.

"Our doors are open. We urge you to come to us and make use of the services we offer," she said.

Hout Bay, where she began her career as a teacher at the local school, was a microcosm of SA society, and she was encouraged to note that the relationship between the local people associated with the fishing industry, for example, and the more affluent sector of the community was quite good.

Hout Bay, she said, had a lot going for it. Obviously, its fishing industry, already well established and with the potential to develop still further, took pride of place.

"However, we need to think further. If you catch a snoek, you can stand by your boat and sell it to whoever comes along. That will earn you something. But if you get involved in the canning of fish, and increase the range of fish you catch, you can build a bigger business, and sell far beyond the boundaries of Hout Bay.

"Seaweed, which is plentiful here but is not harvested at all because no-one here is aware that it has any value, would find a ready market in Japan - where they love it. We need to look for new avenues and pursue them"

Tourism, she said, was another example. On every tourist's Cape agenda was a visit to Mariners' Wharf at Hout Bay for fish and chips. The opportunity was there, but as yet was not being much exploited, to provide a range of goods and other attractions to get tourists to spend money on more than just a meal there.

Seasonality, of course, is a major problem in the Cape. Between October and March, business is good and people do well. In winter, on the other hand, hotels, restaurants, the conference industry and similar enterprises suffer a downturn.

We need to fill this period of the year with music, film, dance, theatre and other events, which do not depend so much on weather. African design and innovation were other areas where we could score and create a niche market. We should remember, also, that our target market is not just international visitors, but also South African tourists from Johannesburg and other centres.

"When you come to us, come with a sound business plan based on a line of business you believe you can operate successfully. If we agree, we will provide support to grow your business, including a team of mentors who will advise you on start up and provide ongoing advice on how to keep your business on track," Ms Johnson said.

Earlier, the Forum's chairperson, Jonathan Dreyer, described how they had started up a year ago with nothing except a determination to succeed. In the space of a year they had met with many disappointments. Big businesses, by and large, didn't seem to care at first, and were reluctant to risk a financial commitment.

However, the Forum had persisted, and gradually they had begun to receive support and had built up a small amount of capital. They would be moving into new office premises within a couple of weeks.

Now things were looking up. Nedbank, he was happy to say, had prepared a range of products aimed at helping emerging Black entrepreneurs who met certain modest criteria, and this was outlined in a presentation by Hayder Dalwal of the bank's Small Businesses Services division. Dalwal invited those interested to see him and members of the Nedbank team after the meeting.

"Persistence," said Dreyer, "is the secret of success. We must never, never, never give up. This attitude has seen us make quite encouraging progress in our first year, and as you have seen today, we have help being offered by the Government and by Nedbank, and other people are also beginning to come on side."